Dunkin’ Doughnuts “Ratted Out” Over Health Violation

Dunkin’ Doughnuts may be best known for a bleary-eyed baker who constantly muttered, “It’s time to make the doughnuts.” But recent events in a store in New York will give Pixar fans the warm fuzzies, while everyone else scurries for cover.

A video gone viral showed a disgusting event that had taken place last Thursday at the Dunkin’ Doughnuts store on W. 27th St. in Manhattan, where a glass fronted doughnut case we invaded by a very busy, four-legged rodent. With all the grace and style of the animated “little chef” from Disney’s box office blockbuster Ratatouille, the real life rat swung down from one tray to the next before disappearing out of sight. The 52-year-old Bronx native that took the footage, Pjayone as he wished to be known, wasn’t too shaken up by the discovery of rats in public food according to an interview he gave with the Daily News.

“I work all over the city,” Pjayone explained. “It’s usually a common place thing that I see all around.”

Pjayone went on to say that the area surrounding that specific Dunkin’ Doughnuts, formerly known as the Garment District, was rechristened by friends and local residents as the “Varmint District.” While the jab was humorous enough, the NYC Health Department didn’t find it amusing in the least. After doing an exhaustive inspection of the store, the Daily News received an email from them claiming the situation inside to be “severe.”

“The establishment was closed by the Department because of conditions that could not be corrected at the time of the inspection, including a severe rodent infestation that requires professional pest control services,” the email confirmed. “They were also cited for other critical violations, including inadequate hand washing facilities and food not being protected from contamination.”

Dunkin’ Doughnuts representatives let the city know they are taking this very seriously, and hope to have the store back open as quickly as possible.

“The health and safety of our guests is our top priority and we take this matter very seriously,” they replied via email. ” We are working closely with our franchisee and the New York City Department of Health to correct the issues addressed during the inspection. We look forward to reopening the restaurant as quickly as possible.”

Perhaps in a few months we might hear of an out-of-the-way doughnut shop where a little rat in a chef’s hat makes the best tasting confections in town. Until then, going for pizza may be your safest bet.